Railway brake gear structure



Jan. 31, 1961 T. c. SODDY RAILWAY BRAKE GEAR STRUCTURE Filed April 29,1957 FIG. 3.

United States Patent RAILWAY BRAKE GEAR STRUCTURE Thomas C. Soddy,Chicago, 11]., assignor to Chicago Rail. way Equipment Company, Chicago,111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 29, 1957, Ser. No. 655,785

Claims. (Cl. 188-219.1)

The invention relates to railway brake gear and more particularly to abrake beam and associated parts, in which the beam main member consistsof a single elongated member extending substantially from end to end ofthe beam and mounting separately formed end members through which thebeam is supported from adjacent truck structure and by which thrust isapplied to brake shoes engaging the truck wheels.

A familiar type of brake beam is of the truss type consisting of a maintension member and a main compression member extending from end to endof the beam,

said members being spaced apart a substantial distance intermediatetheir ends and converging toward the ends, and there secured togetherand mounting a brake head or similar end member. The brake head or endmember mounted on the beam has a body part forming a pocket receivingthe adjacent ends of the compression and tension members, the innerforward and rear walls of the pocket diverging inboard of the beam toaccommodate the converging end portions of the truss members. If such ahead were mounted upon the end of a single member beam, there would be'a substantial space between the inner forward and rear walls of thebeam pocket and the only thrust exerted on the beam by the end memberwould be at the extreme outer face of the head.

The main object of the present invention is to adapt a single memberbeam for tight assembly with an end member which is also adapted to fittightly on the end of the truss type beam. By thus making possible theuse of the same end member on beams of both types, the stock requiredfor maintenance shops on a railroad will be cut in half, and it will notbe necessary to select two groups of heads for replacement assemblies.

Another object is to utilize an individual brake lever as a safetysupport and guide for a beam of the single main member type.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating selected embodiments of theinvention:

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a railway truck showingbrake gear embodying a single main member beam and the support thereforon the truck frame and the brake operating mechanism.

Figure 2 is a detail horizontal section through the end portion of thebeam shown in Figure l, with a brake shoe removed. The section is takenon line 2--2 of Figure I.

Figure 3 is a detail vertical section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section corresponding to Figure 2, but taken through theleft hand end of the brake beam, and showing another form of end member.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 4.

In the structure shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the truck frame 11 issupported from a wheel 13 in the usual manner and includes a tubularcross member 15 extending from side to side of the truck. Parallelingand adjacent to member 15 is a brake beam main member 17 consisting of achannel having an upright web 19, and upper and lower horizontal flanges21. An end member comprising a brake head 23 is applied to each end ofbeam 17 and includes a body portion having a pocket opening inboard ofthe beam and receiving the end of channel 17. The head includes a recess25 for a rectangular hanger 27 by which the beam is suspended from abracket 29 carried on the truck frame. A brake shoe 31 is seated uponelements 23a of the brake head and opposes the wheel tread. The brakemechanism includes an individual fluid pressure cylinder 33, associatedwith each end of the beam and carried upon a bracket 35 on truck frame11, and a brake lever 36 pivoted on a truckframe bracket 37 and actuatedby the rod 39 of a piston in cylinder 33. Lever 36 has an enlargedshoulder 38 directly engaging the rear face of the beam to thrust thebrake shoe against the wheel.

A horizontal projection 40 on the lower end of lever 36 extends underbrake beam member 17 and forms a horizontal shelf adapted to engage thelower flange 21 of the beam if it tilts or if hanger 27 fails. The shelftherefore serves normally as a guide to prevent brake head 23 tilting,so that only one end of the shoe rides on the wheel, and also serves asa safety device to avoid the beam falling to the rail.

The pocket in the brake head receiving the end of the beam main memberis substantially deeper from front to rear than the main member, inorder to receive the end portion of the tension member of a truss typebeam. In the absence of such a tension member, there is provided afiller block 41 which seats against the inner face of upright web 19 andagainst the inner face 43 of the forward wall of the pocket in the brakehead. This filler block extends inboard of the beam beyond the inboardside of the brake head and provides for the direct transmission ofthrust from lever 36 diagonally of the beam to the forward wall of thebrake head and thence to the brake shoe. A lip 45 on the outer end ofblock 41 definitely positions the block'lengthwise of the beam for theassembling operation, when rivet 47 is driven through the beamdiagonally with its heads' seated against the rear face of boss 49 onthe brake head and the forward face of a flange 51 on the brake head.The rivet is disposed at the angle indicated so that on a truss typebeam it will be normal to the beam tension member, as clearly shown inPatent 2,587,915, issued March 4, 1952.

Accordingly, the head used on the familiar truss type beam, shown in theabove mentioned patent, is readily applicable to the single main memberbeam illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the thrust applied bylever 36 to beam member 17 will be, transferred in a direct line to thebrake shoe and wheel.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate another type of beam end, in which the mainbeam member 67 is received in the pocket of an end member 69 whichmounts a brake head 71 and extends outboard of the head and there formsa tang 72 whereby the beam is supported from a bracket 73 on an adjacenttruck frame 75. The end member is shown with a flange 77 extendinginboard of the brake head and riveted at 79 to member 67. A filler 81 ispositioned between channel upright web 69 and the rearward face of theforward wall 83 in the end member pocket and the thrust from brake lever85 is transmitted from the rear face of the end member through fillerblock 81 to the forward wall of the end member and by the latter directto the rear face of the brake head. The end member is secured to thebrake beam by a diagonal rivet 87. The brake head is secured to the endmember by rivets 89 extending through webs 91 normal to the face of thehead and corresponding webs 93 projecting upwardly and downwardly fromthe body of end member 69.

Both forms of the invention illustrated make possible the use of asingle design of brake head on a truss type beam or on asingle-mainmember type 'of'beam,"of either the hanger type, or the hangerless type,the brake thrust being transmitted directly ,from levers engaging therear face of the beam through the beam web, the filler block,

the end member and the brake shoe. tInsthe tfirst form of the invention,the 1 end member is the brake head. @In -thesecond form ofthe'invention, the'end-membermounts .the head, which in turn mountsthe-sho e, -notshown.

Theabove description and theaccompanying-drawings are illustrative, and,it will be understood thatthe details of the structure maybe variedsubstantially without de- ,..parting from the spiritof the invention asexpressed in :the claims.

Whatis claimed is: .1. A railway brake beamcomprising-a-singleelong-ated ,:-main member extending substantiallyfromrend toend of the beam and having-an upright web,a'separately-formed rend member at eachend ofthe beam whichis adapted1:10 mount-a-brake shoe and throughwhich-end memberethe beam issupported, each end member forming-a xpocket having a front wall andarea .walltspacedwapart,tsaid ;,pocket receiving the end of the mainmember :between .u-said walls and saidrear wallbeingseated'againsttthetrear "face of said web, and'ia fillerblockseated"against-the front face of the rear'wall ofthezbeamqmain;member against the-opposingrear face-of said end memberfront wall, said filler block forming-a part forg'transmitting thrustdirectly from said beam-main-mcmber tothe brake shoe mounting elementsofsaid end: member.

2. A railway brakebeam according to claim-1 :inwhich the end. memberfront Wallis inclinedtinwardly and-forwardly from the end of the beam,the-filter hlock-T-form- .inga wedge between-said faces, andrtheoutboard endtof sthe filler block has a lip engagingthe end-tofithepmainmernb'er and holding theblock against movement'inboard of'the endmember.

3. A railway brake beam according tojclaim-l in-which the elongated mainmember is-a channel with .anrupright .web and vertically'spaced flanges,at leastflpartly received ..in the end member pocket, andthe fillerblock lies;be tween said channel flanges and bears throughout itsrearface against the inner face of .;said channel web .-:and

'tirroughouraport'ion only of its forward'faeea'gainst the inwardly'from the "end of "the beam,; there being a flange projectingoutboardfrom the side *of the shoe mounting portion of the head andhaving a forward face substantially parallelj- -toasaid -forwardswall, afiller block between said member and said forwardwall and having a lugengaging the 'outer end of -said--member and having a rear surface incontact with said member and having an inclined forward surface incontact with said forward wall, and arivet extending throughsaid-member, filler block andthead flange withitsaigis disposed at right-angle ,to said forward wall and said flangfefface and a brake 1 gear,lever engaging the rear ,faceo'f the beammaimmemberinb d o sa d fi lbl'o sandhralwh adan thrus ;v-ing-the beam and headforwardly.

, 5. The combination of aibrakelbe'amlandlever; according to claim 4 inwhich the lever includes, a projection unde rlying a portion of the,beam and tforminga safety t. support for the beam.

References" Citedjn the file eans patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

